Dental and surgical instrument.



E. P. DAMERON.

DENTAL AND SURGICALJNSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 10. I916.

1,240,320. Patented Sept. 18,1917.

WITNESS: 1

IN V EN TOR.

' E P flA/V/ERON.

We 4WD EDWARD P. DAMEBON, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

DENTAL AND SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 18, 191?.

Application filed October 10, 1916. Serial No. 124,796.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD P. DAMERON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental and Surgical. Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dental and surgical instruments, and its object resides in providing a clamp of novel construction which is adapted to depress and hold the tongue and extend the cheeks of a patient, whereby to facilitate the performance of dental and pharyngeal operations.

With the above object in view, my invention comprises a pair of relatively adjustably connected jaws provided with leafshaped blades which are adapted to simultaneously engage the tongue and chin of the patient.

Secured to the upper jaw of the clamp,"

which carries the tongue-blade, are a pair of resilient spreaders which when the instrument is in its operative position, engage the cheeks of the patient for the purpose of separating them from the teeth.

The adjustable connection between the two jaws comprises a pair of slidably related members one of which has a series of ratchet teeth and the other one of which carries a spring-pressed pawl for engagement with said teeth.

In the use of my invention, the tongue of the patient is depressed and firmly held against upward movement and the cheeks are at the same time extended whereby to afford ready access to the teeth and the throat of the patient.

A dentist or surgeon is thus enabled to use both hands in performing dental and pharyngeal operations and he may operate without being disturbed by a movement of the tongue, and, in dentistry, without transference of the saliva from the tongue and checks to the teeth.

The instrument has the additional advantage that it may be applied and held in place for a considerable period, without annoyance to the patient and without injury to the parts with which it comes in contact.

An embodiment of my invention has been shown in the accompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts are similarly designated, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of a human head showing the method of applying the instrument,

Fig. 2, a plan view of the instrument, drawn to an enlarged scale,

Fig. 3, a similar view of the instrument without the cheek-distending attachment,

Fig. et, a side elevation of the instrument shown in Fig. 2, and

F 5, an enlarged section taken along the line 55, Fig. 4:.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numerals 5 and 6 designate respectively the upper and lower jaws of the clamp.

The jaw 5 consists of a blade 7 of thin resilient metal, which is secured at the end of a stem 8 provided with a series of ratchet teeth 9. The blade is curved to fit the surface of the tongue in a depressed condition and it has a central slot 10 to expose a portion of the tongue against which it presses.

The stem 8 carries adjacent its upper end, the or eek-distending appliance which consists of a pair of laterally diverging, curved wire-springs 12 the outer ends of which are coiled to prevent injury of the parts with which they come in contact.

lVhen the instrument is used for pharyngeal operations only, the cheek-distending appliance is omitted and the tongue blade is lengthened to extend to the rear end of the tongue as snown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The lower 6 of the instrument consists of a blade 18 of thin metal curved to fit around the chin of the patient and attached at the lower end of a tubular stem letin which the toothed stem 8 of the upper jaw is slidably fitted.

A pawl 15 fulcrumed upon the tubular stem has a detent which extends through a slot in the tube to engage the teeth on the stem of the upper jaw.

The pawl has a thumb piece to facilitate its adjustment and a spring 16 applied between the thumb-piece and the tubular stem operates to yieldingly maintain the detent in engagement with the teeth of the stem 8.

The method of using the instrument has been shown in Fig. v1 and will be readily understood without further explanation.

Having thus described my invention I de sire it understood. that variations in the form and arrangement of the parts of the clamp, may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims:

1. An instrument of the character described comprising a clamp composed of a pliance consisting of a pair of spring-mempair of cooperative jaws adapted to engage bers adapted to engage the cheeks of a pathe tongue and chin of a patient and an tient- Whose tongue is depressed by one of appliance adapted to distensibly engage the said jaws,

5 cheeks of the patient While one of said jaws In testimony whereof I have aflixed my 15 engages the tongue of the same. signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' QLAII instrument of the character de- EDWARD P. DAMERON. scribed comprising a clamp composed of a Witnesses; pair of cooperative jaws adapted to engage v G. J. ROLLANDET,

:0 the tongue and chin of a patient, and an ap- L. RHoADEs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fire cents each, by addressing; the Qommissioner oi Batents ash n n, D16. 

